1200 calories

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  • Cr8tive_Ingenuity
    Cr8tive_Ingenuity Posts: 181
    I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is to rush to the 1200 cal plan thinking that will maximize weight loss. I personally think most people would be better off starting off with 1400-1500 and not add in exercisers and activity calories (unless you are burning more than 600 in a workout).

    Azdak, correct me if im wrong please but heres what I think about calories and caloric intake.. I have a BS in Biology but I am not a doctor so I of course dont pretend to be one. My reasoning may be correct but what actually happens I can be totally wrong on so heres what I think, tell me if im wrong or what im missing :) thanks.


    contrary to popular belief, your metabolism is higher when you are overweight because it has more energy to work with. as you lose weight you need to eat more in order to keep the "metabolism" going. Metabolism is the summation of your chemical reactions in your body. Not to get too scientific but every cell in your body required ATP. When ATP is low, you go into anaerobic and break down fat and muscle. AT first your body breaks down fat if you are overweight. Its easily accessible to the body. As "fat" decreases and you have less calories, then it goes to muscles. Since you lost weight and ATP is required for cells to thrive, you need to give your body what it needs. Energy, through food. More food than before (higher calories) since you lost most of your weight and fuel needs to keep the engines of metabolism running. HOpe this makes sense. Im not a doctor and Im giving you just the basics. Im sure theres a whole lot more to the process
  • mbar12
    mbar12 Posts: 125 Member
    I am on a 1200 calorie diet, and also am trying to do the low carb thing by cutting the bread, pasta, etc out. So basically, I am eating protein from meat and yogurt, and eating vegetables and fruit. However, this is just for 2 weeks, then I will add some of the bread back in, such as cereal and oatmeal in the morning, etc. I also add some of my calories back in from exercise. When I dont exercise, I have difficulty sticking to this, because I end up hungry at night. However, when I do exercise, I usually burn atleast 400 calories, and am very satisfied when I eat the extra calories.
  • danielleabe
    danielleabe Posts: 1 Member
    I have been keeping myself at 1200 calories a day since the beginning of October. This started b/c I had a weight challenge at work and it gave me some motivation to get started. From October 4th through today, I have lost approximately 9 lbs. I am approximately 5' 4" and started out at 133 lbs.

    My first few weeks I realized that the 1200 a day was a big change from what I was consuming per day, but was able to manage it and work out if I wanted something extra. I really had to work on my portions, but didn't deny myself anything, b/c I didn't want that to make me go off track. My pants are more lose now and most of them I can get off w/o un buttoning them!

    I will continue to track my food/exercise and see if I can get to my goal of 115 lbs and maintain it!!! :smile:
  • sweetpeaz12345
    sweetpeaz12345 Posts: 64 Member
    Try eating a really good breakfast in the morning, not only does it kick start your metabolism but it also keeps your sugar levels in check all day and you boy doesn;t feel hungry at night. My Dietician gave me a wicked meal plan where i can pretty much eat anything I want but at each mean (breakfast lunch and dinner" i must have 4 food groups (Protein, veggie, dairy and wheat). And eating 5 times a day every couple hours cuts down night time eating and it makes you feel great all day. Im at 1760 calls a day and im losing eight just fine. Its not just about calories, its what type of calories you eat. Also try adding more fibre into your diet :)
  • krazyforyou
    krazyforyou Posts: 1,428 Member
    The planne put me at 1200 per day, and yes I eat back the calores I burn. My problemis at work. I simply want to snack more often. This time of year is especially hard with food just laying around. I walk right now 2 miles daily 4 days a week. But this week has been hard.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    If you're feeling lethargic then it sounds like you should try eating more. Check out your goals page to see what you maintenance calories are - as long as your NET calories are less than this number you have a calorie deficit and should be losing weight.
    (NET calories means your daily calories allowance plus the cals you burn from exercise. It's a good idea to eat these as your body needs more fuel when you are working out, and MFP has given you a calorie deficit already so you will lose weight if you stick to your recommended net calories)
    Personally I've never had a 1200 goal - that's way too low to keep me satisfied, and I've lost weight eating much more, you probably can too.
  • SixCatFaerie
    SixCatFaerie Posts: 690 Member
    Thanks for all the insight. Glad to know that fluctuating the calories won't ruin everything (especially when I realize that they calories I am now eating are still probably significantly less than before!). Another question, and I am not sure if I am clear in understanding----say you burn 400-500 calories working out., and you have a 1200 calorie a day goal. Do you eat the remaining calories? Or do you typically just have a 700 calorie day in that case?

    Thanks! Hence my name, I really do want this to work. However, I know I am the one that needs to make it work! I'm hoping third time is a charm, because I think I have logged on and off about three different times during the last year!

    You should take in a min of 1200 NET cal per day. If you are at 1200 cal for the day and workout and burn 500 calories then that puts you at a NET of 700 and you really should NET 1200--your body needs this amount for healthy weight loss----a NET of 700 calories per day is setting yourself up to fail in my opinion. If you are at 1700 for the day and then burn 500 calories then you are at a NET of 1200 calories for the day so you are getting your NET of 1200.

    Does that help??

    ^^^ This!
  • nicolinski
    nicolinski Posts: 17
    Great to read your post and all the replies! I struggle with the 1200 calories and sometimes end up hungry and having a little binge. So thinking know for the long term i might eat a little more so I don't end up hungry! Good luck :smile:
  • mom2enlp
    mom2enlp Posts: 38 Member
    I average about 1200 calories a day, and I find it's no problem. I eat smaller meals 4 to 6 times a day, and that has helped me to maintain my energy and my blood sugar as I have had problems with hypoglycemia in the past. Obviously, I'm not an expert, but you might try doing it that way to see if that helps your energy level. You may also need to add some good carbs to combat the lethargy -fresh produce and stuff like that.

    Good luck to you!
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,357 Member
    I am on 1200 calories, and I find it hard to reach that point but I do get closer then I use to. So it's getting a little easier. I'm trying to do away with sugar and fried food's all together and eat Healthy, and when a lot of your food only has 40 calories in it, it takes a lot to get to 1200 lol. Not saying all my meals are like that, but my snacks are low in cal. I try to eat a 400 cal lunch and a 400 or 500 cal dinner. I might try adding a 200 cal breakfast in there, I just have a hard time eating breakfast cus I am not hungry in the morning. So I have coffee and a granola bar or something small just so I get something in the A.M.
  • CashierCantin
    CashierCantin Posts: 206 Member
    My goal is 1200 a day. Coming from low carb, I had to reign in on my portion sizes big time and this has taught me what a true portion really is.

    There are some days I am under by a couple of hundred, some days I go a little over (mainly on my days off and we go try a new place).

    I think I will try upping my cals a bit...see if that starts something good...otherwise I will go back to 1200. Just so confused with this whole way of eating.
  • TXchris
    TXchris Posts: 54 Member
    In the past I've tried 1200 and I always seem to fail because i feel like I want more food and I have no energy to exercise. I last a couple of weeks and I fall off the wagon every time. It just doesn't work for me to cut calories that much.

    Now my goal is set for 1350 but I find even that to not be enough for me most days. At the same time, I am too impatient to set the goal higher because like you, I want to get there faster than a pound a week. My compromise is that I have chosen to exercise daily to add to my calorie "budget." I have found my comfort zone to be around 1500 calories worth of food most days. At 1500 calories, I have the energy to work out without "hitting the wall" and I don't get hungry. Most days I net under 1200, but it is important to me to have a goal that I feel is attainable each and every day so I leave it set for 1.5 lbs so I get that extra 150 calories of flexibility every day. This works very well for me right now.

    In the past 19 days, I have exercised every single day burning between 85 calories and 700+ calories each day. My calorie intake ranges from 1300 to 1700 calories, but most days comes in right around 1500. This gives me the wiggle room to enjoy a piece of dark chocolate or take part in an office potluck and still meet my goal for the day. I have lost almost 7 lbs during this time, so it is definitely working. With this amount of food, I feel like I can do this indefinitely. With my goal weight 50 lbs away, I feel that it is critical that I do not burn myself out too soon.

    The bottom line is do what works for you, but listen to your body. If you feel deprived you won't stick to your plan long term.

    Good luck!
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